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Author: chris harris

I’ve not posted much here in months and months and there is a reason for that. My health hasn’t been great on and off for about 3 years now. Initially I had issues with my prostate, infection after infection with dozens of antibiotics. I actually managed to do Dash 4 Dosh during a period of remission from the symptoms! However it came back. Last May after almost 2 years of back and forth to my GP I finally got my referral to a consultant. He decided to issue me Ciprofloxacin in the hope it might work better, but he didn’t tell me what side effects might happen.

Unfortunately I reacted badly to the medication and after just 8 days of a 6 week course I had to stop taking them due to being able to hardly walk or function.

Anyway that was 9 months ago and I’m still struggling with the consequences. The downside is that I can’t ride, my achillies and other tendons in my legs are weakened by the cipro and I’ve muscle weakness and fatigue. Not being able to do the thing you love is heartbreaking especially when there’s no defined cure for what I’m going through, just hope and time.

I had a couple of bike trips planned, one to the Netherlands for a few days next month and a tour of Scotland in May. I won’t be able to do those now or anything else this year unless my body recovers!

I will be attending the Horizons Unlimited (HUBB) Ireland event along with Paul Mooney on 26th/27th/28th June to talk about our trip. Hopefully we will give a flavour of what we experienced, the planning, motivation, the good and the bad!

If you are attending, come along and say Hi and we hope you get something from our little presentation!

I woke up to a blue sky and sunshine outside the portal of the cabin. The guys were still asleep so I plugged in my headphones and listened to a few tunes whilst reflecting on the last 16 days. It was going to be weird not seeing the guys everyday, not packing up a tent and loading up the bike, not watching mile after mile of tarmac pass under my wheels. I had felt the most free and clear of mind I can remember for many years. Each day a new adventure, new roads to ride, new lands to explore, new sites to amaze us and a different place to call home for that night. This truly had been the biggest adventure of my life and I couldn’t wait to have another.

The others woke up and we chatted briefly before getting up and heading down for bit of breakfast. I went off with Paul whilst Roy finished washing and headed down to the café. On route I looked at the on board GPS map in the reception area, we were off the coast of Norfolk! I was almost home! I could actually see Kings Lynn on the map and it felt very close now.

We grabbed some coffee and breakfast and chatted about the trip and the rest of the journey home. I had originally hoped to ride to Wales and meet up with the Dander for Dosh group but I was tired and really couldn’t face driving across the UK then back again. When we reached Harwich we still had a good trip ahead although I would be back first with only a few hours ride to Norfolk while Roy had a good 4 or 5 hours and Paul even further.

We finished breakfast then went back to the cabin and got our bike gear on just as the announcement to return to our vehicles came over the loud speakers. I picked up my helmet and tank bag and walked down to the car deck, squeezed past the lorries and cars and loaded my gear into the panniers and top box for the last time. I untied the tie downs and got my helmet and gloves on just as the front of the ferry started to open. We planned to ride up to Cambridge and stop at the services where we had started the trip those 17 days earlier.

We rode out on to UK tarmac and got into a queue right away to get through passport control. It took quite a while to edge along until we finally reached the gate and the open road.

It felt very weird being on the left of the road again and took a few moments to adjust. The first thing I noticed was the road condition, it was terrible compared to Scandinavia! The tarmac was rough, pot holes all over the place, litter etc…

I lead the ride back up to Cambridge, re-tracing the ride from the start of the trip. I felt pretty emotional, flashbacks of the trip coming into my head. It felt strange not seeing Gregg’s headlight along with Paul and Roy behind me. I wished this was the start of the trip again and not the end!

We pulled into Cambridge services and rode up, parking the bikes exactly where we parked before leaving. We grabbed a coffee and stood by the bikes, grabbing a few last photo’s.

I could feel the lump in my throat as I knew I would be heading off on my own and I’d be really sad to see the guys ride off. I threw my empty coffee cup in the bin and we said our goodbyes, kitted up and headed off. The guys rode off ahead of me and I pulled over to adjust my helmet and compose myself. In about an hour I’d be home and the trip would be over.

I headed back out on to the A14 and headed back to Norfolk, passing lots of familiar places. An hour or so later I pulled into the car park at Costa where Caroline was waiting for me, at our regular haunt. After an emotional hug I sat down and started blurting out all the cool stuff we’d done over a well needed Coffee. We sat there for about an hour or so before heading home, the 20 minute ride back was pretty surreal as it started to feel like I’d never left. I pulled up outside the house, turned the ignition off and climbed off the bike. I turned to look at the steel horse that had just carried me around 7000km, no longer clean and unused but dirty and showing the marks of exploration! I smiled, turned the front door handle and walked in to a big welcome home banner and cool hand made cake! I slumped on to the sofa and sighed before eating a nice slice of the cake with a cup of tea…. the end…. NO not the end…. TO BE CONTINUED!!!

The next morning we woke up and headed down to get breakfast in the main restaurant. I felt tired but hoped the food and coffee would get the body working. The breakfast was the usual self service cooked affair with orange juice, tea or coffee and various cereals and fruit on offer. I plated up some cooked food, grabbed a strong coffee and ate as we chatted about the trip and the final day we would all be together. Gregg would be leaving us later the in the afternoon to head back to Vladimir’s where his luggage was stored and he would be there another day or so before flying back to the USA.

You could see from everyone’s faces that the trip had taken it’s toll, everyone was tired and I for one was feeling pretty emotional thinking about the fantastic experience and the great company I had been with over the last 15 days. Part of me wanted to get home, have a real shower and sit in front of the TV with my other half, another part of me longed for the journey to continue.

We packed up the cabin and geared up before heading down and once again loading the bikes up and undoing the tie downs. Thankfully the bikes were all upright. The day would be split into 3 really with he initial ride taking us to the campsite where Hans and the group would stay. The second part would take us to a stop over for lunch where Gregg would leave us followed by the final stretch where we would arrive in Esbjerg and embark on the 18 hours trip back to Harwich. We rode off the ferry and headed off south through Denmark, once again back in the country we started out from some 14 days earlier. The landscape was very different from the one we left behind, flatter with lots of farms (some very smelly!). The roads were good though, excellent tarmac and condition. It was a slow ride, lots of villages and speed restrictions on the way but we weren’t in a hurry. We stopped for a quick fuel up and toilet break before carrying on.

Eventually we pulled up at the campsite where we would split from Hans and his group. We thanked him for his hospitality and his company, said our goodbyes and continued south on our journey.

The weather forecast had indicated possible showers during the day and unusually they were right. The skies darkened and as we rode the patter of rain drops started to hit my helmet and the bike. We continued on but the rain wasn’t a shower, it became heaver, the sky turned black and in the distance I could see lightning. Within minutes the rain was coming down at a torrential rate, lightning was flashing and hail started pummelling us. The visibility became so bad so quickly that cars and bikes were pulling over on the motorway! Somehow we continued through this until the next services where we pulled off to get out of the weather, soaked, cold and a bit fed up. We fuelled the bikes then grabbed a meal in McDonalds and tried to dry out a little although the rain was still falling so there was little point. I took a toilet break after eating which in itself was an epic feat of contortionism! I had a one piece rain-suit on over two piece textile bike gear, over a fleece, over a t-shirt, over thermals. It took about 5 minutes to reach a state of undress that actually allowed me to take a pee! The reverse re-clothing exercise was even worse as I tried to get soaking wet gear on over semi-wet clothing with cold clammy hands.

When we finished eating and chatting we geared up, the mood had become bit more solemn as this is where Gregg would leave us. I felt pretty emotional to be honest, you can’t help but bond with people when you do this kind of adventure. Although I knew of Gregg through the IT community I hadn’t ever met him before and I can honestly say he’s a great guy who I hope will be a friend for the rest of my life. We all just clicked, the humour and banter was as natural as it could be.

(Photo of Gregg saying goodbye! credit to Paul!)

We walked out into the rain, said goodbye and watched Gregg ride off into murky distance before we ourselves climbed back on the steel horses and headed in the opposite direction. We rode for the next couple of hours with the traffic steadily getting worse as we approached the bigger towns and cities. It seemed odd not seeing Gregg either in front or riding right up my arse! I hoped he would ride safe and find his way to Vladimir’s house without any issues. As we reached Esbjerg and rode into the port we could see the ferry docked and waiting.

We couldn’t get on right away so we joined the waiting queue before passport control. We waited for an hour or so but thankfully the rain had stopped and we spent most of that time admiring an old guys vintage motorcycle.

As we rode onto the ferry I took a brief look around, proud of what we had achieved, the distance we travelled since we arrived in that very same port on that very same ship 16 days earlier, the places we had seen and the new friends I had made. I felt sad to be leaving it behind but I was also looking forward to seeing Caroline who was patiently waiting at home. We strapped the bikes down, lugged our gear up to the cabin and got changed before heading for a bite to eat. I We once again decided to eat in the lower deck snack bar rather than fork out a tiny fortune in the restaurant. It was funny to think that a few months from then the ferry service would stop forever and if we wanted to ride to Norway again we would need to take a ferry to the Netherlands or Eurotunnel to France.

After a bit if chat, reflection and relaxation it was time we headed off to bed. The next time we awoke we would almost be at England’s shores.